Bangkok's Yothi neighbourhood, which is known as the capital city's healthcare hub due to its high concentration of medical facilities, is set to undergo a significant redevelopment to make it more "friendly" -- both for locals and long-term residents -- under the Yothi Medical Innovation District (YMID) initiative.
The neighbourhood in Ratchathewi district -- which is centred around the one-kilometre long Yothi Alley that connects Rama VI and Phaya Thai roads -- is home to over a dozen major hospitals, specialised healthcare service providers, medical colleges and research centres with more than 11,000 medical personnel and staff.
As part of the city's efforts to redevelop the area into what the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) calls an "innovation district", Bangkok deputy governor Sakchai Boonma said that the project will see the area's roads, pavements and other public areas improved, better street lighting and drainage systems, shuttle bus services, and more parking spaces for visitors.
"We will start with landscaping -- so we'll begin with trees, street lighting, traffic signs as well as bus stops around the area," he said. "Works in the area should be completed early next year."
According to Mr Sakchai, the redevelopment project is aimed at improving services and providing better services for workers and visitors in the area.
Last week, Mr Sakchai led a team of BMA staff from various departments to inspect the condition of Yothi Alley, along with a design team from Chulalongkorn University and the National Innovation Agency (NIA), which initiated the YMID as a part of the "Innovation Thailand" project.
Panit Phujinda, the Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Chulalongkorn University, said the YMID initiative is intended to tap into the vast resources in the community and showcase Thailand's healthcare services.
The project is administered by a committee comprising representatives from all medical institutes in the area with the district office of Ratchathewi as the committee's secretariat.